Put Your Coverage Where Your Mouth Is

My recent letter to the Portland Mercury:

Dear Merc-

I'll start by saying you're my favorite weekly in town. My only complaint so far (I moved here from New York six months ago) has been that you have way too little local theatre coverage. So I was... amused... when I saw the "My, What a Busy Week!" bit entitled "Uncle" where you lambast Portland for not "support[ing] working actors in your own community." What's up with that?

I checked this week, and you guys had a total of FOUR theatre/comedy/dance previews and one review (of a play that's CLOSING this week). A total of five productions. By way of comparison, Willamette Week had TWO PAGES of previews, including a review of a play that's merely halfway through it's run. Total? 26 productions. Even the Portland Tribune (blech!) beat you, with three reviews and a half page of previews (totalling eight productions). The only reason I even looked at the Trib was because I was checking for the play I'm currently appearing in, If You Take One Elf Off The Shelf. (Yup, full disclosure, I have a vested interest.)

Willy Week had us. Portland Tribune had us. Even the Oregonian had us. You guys? Of course you didn't.

If you want Portlanders to support local working actors and theatres, why don't you start by doing it yourself? Put your coverage where your mouth is.

PS If by some stroke of luck I win Letter of the Week, why not skip the prize and send someone to review our show? You can learn all about the dates and times by checking for them in any other local newspaper.